Automated location-intelligent traffic notification service systems and methods

ABSTRACT

Traffic notification systems include a location determination system that is configured to determine a geographic location of a subscriber and an automated traffic notification system that is configured to automatically transmit a traffic notification message that is based on the geographic location of the subscriber to a wireless.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

This patent application is a continuation of U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 12/570,817, filed Sep. 30, 2009 now U.S. Pat. No. 7,912,642,which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 12/239,259,filed Sep. 26, 2008, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,617,043, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/834,728, filed Aug.7, 2007, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,430,472 on Sep. 30, 2008, whichis a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/209,115, filedAug. 22, 2005, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 7,269,505, on Sep. 11,2007, which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/677,417, filed Oct. 2, 2003, which issued as U.S. Pat. No. 6,973,384on Dec. 6, 2005, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 10/004,500, filed on Dec. 6, 2001, which issued asU.S. Pat. No. 6,741,926, on May 25, 2004, the contents of which arehereby incorporated by reference as if recited in full herein.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to automotive traffic tracking systems,and more particularly, to a system for providing automotive trafficreports.

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Over the past decade, automobile traffic has become an increasinglysevere problem in many cities, sometimes affecting employees'productivity and quality of life. The amount of traffic congestion thatoccurs on any particular road at any given time may vary dramatically oneach day, due to unpredictable variables including traffic accidents orroad construction. If a commuter is unaware of the traffic conditionsuntil he has become delayed in traffic, it is then too late to plan aviable alternative route. Despite attempts to avoid traffic by alteringwork schedules and experimenting with different routes, commuterscontinue to experience intolerable traffic, often on a regular basis.

Although there are several resources that are presently available toprovide drivers with traffic information, they may not effectively allowdrivers to easily obtain the information in time to avoid unpredictabletraffic congestion while en route. For example, traffic reports that arebroadcast over local radio stations typically provide driving conditionsat periodic intervals and/or only for certain major highways. As anotherexample, computerized, overhead traffic message displays that arelocated on some major roads or highways may not be very useful becausedrivers may not be given sufficient advanced notice to divert toalternative routes. While radio traffic reports and programmable signscan provide useful information, these resources cannot be customized toprovide information on demand for individual driver's commutes, andtherefore may have only a limited effect.

Recently, Internet web sites have been created for providing trafficinformation concerning specific roadways in certain metropolitan areas.The traffic information that is provided on such web sites is retrievedfrom databases containing traffic information that is periodicallyupdated at regular intervals. Traffic.com, Inc. (available attraffic.com) operates a web site for providing traffic information forseveral major routes in certain metropolitan areas. The web siteprovides color-coded maps that illustrate the traffic conditions alongseveral major roadways in certain metropolitan areas. Using a “keyroutesummary,” the web site also indicates, for several major routes, theaverage speed of traffic and whether there are any traffic advisories onthe routes. As another example, a web site operated by The WashingtonPost (available at washingtonpost.com), allows a user to select or“click on” one of several roadways on a map of the Washington, D.C.metropolitan area and receive a short written report concerning trafficconditions for the selected roadway.

While web sites may provide traffic conditions, many drivers either donot have access to the Internet or otherwise do not wish to access theInternet from their home or office before beginning a commute. In eithercase, since traffic information changes constantly, the information thatone obtains from a web site may no longer be accurate during the timethat the user is driving. Accordingly, there is a need for systems thatallow drivers to access real-time traffic information while commuting.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to methods and systems for providingtraffic conditions to users/drivers that are subscribers of a trafficadvisory service. As used herein the term “driver” is used to describe auser of a traffic notification system and includes subscribers ordesignees desiring traffic information typically located in a vehiclewhether a “driver” or a “passenger.” Similarly, the term “he” may beused with respect to certain descriptions to identify a user and is notmeant to be gender specific.

Certain embodiments are directed toward a traffic notification systemthat includes: (a) a location determination system that is configured todetermine a geographic location of a subscriber; and (b) an automatedtraffic notification system that is configured to automatically transmita traffic notification message that is based on the geographic locationof the subscriber to a wireless terminal that is associated with thesubscriber.

The location determination system may be configured to automaticallyobtain a plurality of location readings while the subscriber is intransit to automatically monitor the location of the subscriber over adesired monitoring period.

In certain embodiments, the driver pre-configures a traffic predictingsystem by providing information identifying the driver's preferredroutes for reaching a destination, and the typical range of times whenthe driver is commuting. The information stored in the database isassociated with the driver's wireless telephone number. This embodimentcan determine which route the driver is on and use a Short MessagingService (SMS) to provide short messages via the driver's associatedwireless telephone during the range of times when the driver iscommuting or otherwise en route, to advise the driver which of thepreferred routes to choose, alert of adverse traffic conditions, and/oradvise whether to divert to a different travel route.

Certain embodiments of the present invention are directed to automatedlocation-intelligent traffic notification systems. The systems include:(a) a subscriber database configured with subscriber specific data froma plurality of subscribers; (b) a traffic notification server incommunication with the subscriber database; (c) a location determinationsystem in communication with the traffic notification server, thelocation determination system configured to determine a geographiclocation of a subscriber during at least one time period of interest;and (d) a traffic monitoring system for providing traffic informationfor routes, streets, roadways and/or travel paths in at least onegeographic region. During operation, the traffic notification serverreceives traffic condition data for a route, street, roadway and/ortravel path in the at least one geographic region from the trafficmonitoring system, identifies a subscriber that may be affected by thetraffic condition using the determined geographic location of thesubscriber and data from the subscriber database, and then automaticallytransmits a traffic notification message to the identified subscriber.

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method for providingtraffic congestion information from a traffic database to a subscriberover a wireless network at a predetermined time. After determining thata subscriber requested traffic information at a present time, anindication of the traffic information requested by the subscriber isretrieved from a subscriber database. The requested traffic informationis then retrieved from a traffic database. A short text message is thentransmitted to the subscriber's wireless telephone providing requestedtraffic information.

Other embodiments for automated location-intelligent trafficnotification systems include: (a) a subscriber database configured withsubscriber specific data from a plurality of subscribers; (b) a trafficnotification server in communication with the subscriber database; (c)means for determining a geographic location of the subscribers incommunication with the traffic notification server, during at least onetime period of interest; (d) means for monitoring traffic for obtainingtraffic condition information for routes, streets, roadways and/ortravel paths in at least one geographic region; and (e) means fortransmitting traffic notification messages to subscribers. Duringoperation, the traffic notification server receives the obtained trafficcondition information, identifies a subscriber that may be affected bythe traffic condition using the determined geographic location of thesubscriber, and then automatically transmits a traffic notification tothe identified subscriber.

Still other embodiments are directed to methods for providing trafficinformation to a subscriber over a wireless network. The methods caninclude: (a) providing a subscriber database of informationcorresponding to a plurality of subscribers; (b) monitoring geographiclocations of a respective subscriber while the subscriber is in transit;(c) identifying relevant traffic conditions by correlating trafficconditions in a particular location to a respective subscriber'smonitored geographic location; and (d) automatically relaying a wirelesstraffic notification message to the subscriber if the subscriber isidentified as affected by a traffic condition based on the monitoringand identifying steps.

Other methods include: (a) providing a subscriber database ofinformation corresponding to a plurality of subscribers; (b) determiningwhen an adverse traffic condition exists in a subscriber's travel route;(c) assessing the current geographic location of the subscriber and thesubscriber's destination when the adverse condition is determined toevaluate whether the adverse traffic condition is likely to affect thesubscriber; and (d) automatically relaying a wireless trafficnotification message to the subscriber about the adverse trafficcondition if the subscriber is identified as likely to be affected bythe adverse traffic condition based on the assessing step.

Other embodiments provide methods for providing traffic information froma traffic database to a subscriber over a wireless network during adesired monitoring interval or period. The methods include: (a)evaluating whether a subscriber requests to receive traffic informationat a present time from a subscriber database; (b) dynamicallydetermining a geographic location of the subscriber using a terrestrialand/or celestial based geographic location determination system; (c)retrieving traffic information for a particular geographic area and/ortravel zone corresponding to a travel path of the subscriber and thedetermined geographic location of the subscriber; and (d) automaticallytransmitting a short text message to a subscriber's wirelesscommunication device. The relevant traffic information customized to thesubscriber's travel path is reported to the subscriber in the short textmessage while the subscriber is in transit.

Still other embodiments are directed to methods for providing automatedlocation-intelligent traffic notifications. The methods include: (a)providing a subscriber database configured with subscriber specific datafrom a plurality of subscribers; (b) determining a geographic locationof a subscriber a plurality of times during at least one time period ofinterest and storing the geographic location data in the subscriberdatabase during a monitoring period; (c) monitoring the geographiclocation of the subscriber during the monitoring period based on thegeographic location data and the subscriber's direction of travel; (d)providing substantially current traffic information for routes, streets,roadways and/or travel paths in at least one geographic region; (e)evaluating when there is a change in a traffic condition a route,street, roadway and/or travel path in the at least one geographicregion; (f) identifying a subscriber that may be affected by the changein the traffic condition using the determined geographic location of thesubscriber and data from the subscriber database; and then (g)automatically transmitting a traffic notification message to theidentified subscriber to thereby provide updated relevant trafficinformation to the subscriber without requiring the subscriber to call,respond to prompts or enter a request to a remote traffic monitoringservice for updated traffic information in transit.

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to methods forproviding traffic congestion information from a traffic database to asubscriber over a wireless network. A telephone call is received from asubscriber's wireless telephone. The telephone directory number of thewireless telephone is detected, and it is determined whether the call isfrom a subscriber, and if so, where the subscriber is located and hisdirection of travel and/or the likely street or roadway the driver is onand/or approaching.

Embodiments of the present invention can provide a method for providingtraffic congestion information from a traffic database to a subscriberover a wireless network. A telephone call can be received from asubscriber's wireless telephone. The telephone directory number of thewireless telephone is detected, and it is determined whether the call isfrom a subscriber. If the call is from a subscriber, the subscriber'spresent and intended destination locations, the desired trafficmonitoring period, and the driver's location are evaluated. Relevanttraffic information stored in the traffic database and/or trafficcongestion information for the portion of the roadway that the driver ison and/or approaching in a projected travel window or boundary isretrieved based upon information maintained in the traffic database. Thesubscriber can pre-configure the subscriber database by performing thesteps of entering a wireless directory telephone number, selecting aportion of a roadway or travel route and monitoring period, designatinga commuting travel route or an irregular travel event, and the like. Anaudio and/or text preview of road conditions during a desired interval(typically in advance of the travel path at issue) can be relayed to theuser (such as via SMS or text, audio or other suitable messaging system)over a wireless communication modality.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an exemplary traffic reporting systemaccording to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exemplary flow diagram according to the present invention,in which the shortest route between two locations is selected from aplurality of routes according to information stored in a trafficdatabase.

FIG. 3 is an exemplary graphical representation of possible routes asselected by a driver between two locations for a graphical userinterface for the traffic reporting system in FIG. 1.

FIG. 4 is a list of streets and distances for each possible routeillustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 5 illustrates a calculation of the shortest route between twolocations among the routes illustrated in FIG. 3.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for receiving trafficinformation via a human operator intermediary, according to the firstembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 provides an exemplary map illustrating differences in trafficconditions between two possible routes to the same destination that canbe reported to drivers via the first embodiment of the presentinvention.

FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for pre-configuring atraffic predicting system according to a second embodiment of thepresent invention.

FIGS. 9A-9C are a series of exemplary screen shots for pre-configuringthe traffic predicting system by identifying routes in accordance withthe flow diagram of FIG. 8.

FIGS. 10A-10B are a series of exemplary screen shots for pre-configuringthe traffic predicting system by identifying streets in accordance withthe flow diagram of FIG. 8.

FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for accessing trafficinformation using an automated system according to the second embodimentof the present invention.

FIG. 12A is a flow diagram of operations that can be used to carry outembodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 12B is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for pre-configuring atraffic predicting system in a first exemplary implementation of a thirdembodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is an exemplary illustration of information stored in thesubscriber database in FIG. 1, after a subscriber pre-configures thetraffic predicting system according to FIGS. 12A and/or 12B.

FIG. 14 is an exemplary map illustrating present and intendeddestination locations of two fictitious subscribers and certain trafficadvisories that may affect the subscribers' commutes.

FIG. 15 is a schematic of a scheduling database that is accessed by thetraffic data processors 10 in FIG. 1 to schedule the transmission oftext messages to subscribers' wireless devices, in accordance with thethird embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 16A is a diagram of exemplary components of automatedlocation-intelligent traffic notification systems and methods accordingto embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 16B is a schematic illustration of a location intelligent trafficnotification system according to embodiments of the present invention.

FIG. 17A is a diagram of a prior art terrestrial based communicationsystem.

FIG. 17B is a diagram of a prior art celestial based communicationsystem.

FIG. 17C is a diagram of an automated traffic-location intelligentsystem that uses a global positioning system.

FIGS. 18-21 are flow charts of operations of methods, systems and/orcomputer program products that can be performed according to embodimentsof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The methods and systems described herein provide for allowing users toaccess a database containing information pertaining to trafficconditions. Using the systems and/or methods, a driver can receivetraffic conditions potentially affecting the driver's particularcommute, just prior to (or during) the time at which the driver choosesbetween one or more routes or paths for the commute. Several embodimentsare disclosed in accordance with the present invention by which thedriver can easily receive timely traffic information from the system viathe driver's wireless communications device, such as a wirelesstelephone.

In the figures, like numbers refer to like elements throughout. It willbe appreciated that although discussed with respect to a certainembodiment, features or operation of one embodiment can apply to others.Broken lines in the figures indicate optional operations or featuresunless stated otherwise. The order of the steps in the claims is notlimited to the order presented unless stated otherwise therein.

As will be appreciated by one of skill in the art, the present inventionmay be embodied as a system, method, data processing system, and/orcomputer program product. Accordingly, the present invention may combinesoftware and hardware aspects, which may all generally be referred toherein as a “circuit.” Furthermore, the present invention may take theform of a computer program product on a computer-usable storage mediumhaving computer-usable program code means embodied in the medium. Anysuitable computer readable medium may be utilized including hard disks,CD-ROMs, optical storage devices, a transmission media such as thosesupporting the Internet or an intranet, or magnetic storage devices.

Computer program code for carrying out operations of the presentinvention may be written in an object oriented programming language suchas, but not limited to, Java®, Smalltalk or C++. However, the computerprogram code for carrying out operations of the present invention mayalso be written in conventional procedural programming languages, suchas the “C” programming language. The program code may execute entirelyon a computer associated with the parking lot system, as a stand-alonesoftware package, partly on the parking lot system computer(s), partlyon a user's computer and partly on a remote computer or entirely on theremote computer. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may beconnected to the parking lot and/or user's computer through a local areanetwork (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may bemade to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using anInternet Service Provider).

The present invention is described below with reference to flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams of methods, apparatus (systems) andcomputer program products according to embodiments of the invention. Itwill be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/orblock diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchartillustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computerprogram instructions. These computer program instructions may beprovided to a processor of a general purpose computer, special purposecomputer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce amachine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor ofthe computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, createmeans for implementing the functions specified in the flowchart and/orblock diagram block or blocks.

These computer program instructions may also be stored in acomputer-readable memory that can direct a computer or otherprogrammable data processing apparatus to function in a particularmanner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readablememory produce an article of manufacture including instruction meanswhich implement the function specified in the flowchart and/or blockdiagram block or blocks.

The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer orother programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series ofoperational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmableapparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that theinstructions which execute on the computer or other programmableapparatus provide steps for implementing the functions specified in theflowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a traffic condition reporting systemaccording to the present invention for providing traffic conditions to adriver. Traffic data processors and databases 10 receive and maintaintraffic data for certain roads and highways in or nearby one or moremetropolitan areas. The traffic information can be sorted and organizedin the database according to geographic regions and/or particularstretches along a road (e.g., “Lincoln Drive between 1st and 5thStreets”), although the information may instead be organized differentlywithout departing from the scope of the invention. For each entry, thedatabase may store one or more fields of traffic information, such as anaverage speed of traffic (e.g., “20 mph”), advisories of trafficconditions (e.g., “all lanes open” or “traffic accident”), a codeindicating the “drivability” of the road (e.g., a rating of 1-5, where 5indicates that traffic is flowing smoothly), or a code indicating the“drivability” of the road in comparison with the typical trafficconditions on the road at that time (e.g., a numerical rating of 1-5,where 5 indicates a typical or “normal” traffic pattern for the road forthat particular time such as morning or evening commute periods). Othersuch types of information may include the number of traffic lightswithin the given stretch of road, and for each traffic light, the numberof traffic light cycles until a car can pass through the intersection.There are many possible formats for storing traffic data to enable usersto quickly learn the severity of traffic conditions for a particularroute.

Traffic information in the traffic database may be received from one ormore of several possible sources. As in the system described attraffic.com, the traffic database may collect traffic information fromroad sensors 11 installed along particular roadways. This informationmay be reported through direct wireline communications, or through awireless communications system. Road sensors can detect and report theaverage speed of traffic at a given location to the traffic database 10.The speed of traffic information may then be processed in trafficprocessor 10 to determine whether there is a traffic advisory or tocalculate the “drivability” as explained above.

Traffic information may also be input to the traffic database inresponse to images transmitted from traffic cameras 12 along particularroadways. A traffic database operator can monitor the output fromtraffic cameras and determine the speed of traffic, traffic advisories,or the “drivability” along the road based upon a qualitativedetermination of the traffic being monitored. As another source ofinformation, the traffic database operator may receive information fromtraffic reporters 13 (e.g., helicopter traffic reporting services), andpopulate the traffic database according to reporters' subjectiveopinions. Although it may be less reliable, many radio traffic-reportingservices rely upon wireless telephone caller input 14 for relevanttraffic information.

It may be possible to provide incentives for commuters to provide suchinformation to the traffic database operator (e.g., to receive adiscount on traffic reporting service) to increase the reliability ofthe information. As another possible source for receiving traffic intothe traffic database, it may be possible to determine the speed oftravel through GPS systems installed in cars. This information could becommunicated to the traffic database and sorted according to individualtravel along identified regions such as proximate streets, roads,highways and the like. Other input channels can also be used, such asfor example, State Highway or Public Safety Departments, StateDepartment of Transportation travel alerts (which traffic informationcan be typically posted to local radiochannels (AM or FM station) oroverhead information displays).

A subscriber database 15 can be configured to maintain accountinformation for each user seeking information from the traffic database10. Subscriber database 15 may simply maintain a list of cellulartelephone numbers for each current subscriber. Depending upon thesubscriber plan, the database may also maintain additional information,such as the date and time that the user placed a call to access thetraffic database, the format by which the user wishes to receive trafficinformation, and the streets and directions for certain routes that areoften traveled by the subscriber. There are several embodiments of thepresent invention by which a user can access information maintained inthe traffic database, as will now be described.

Several exemplary embodiments are described which a user can use toaccess traffic information stored in traffic database 10. In oneembodiment of the present invention, a driver can call an administrativetelephone number and contact a human operator via interface 16, whoaccesses a computerized traffic database and determines the mostefficient route for the driver to take in response to the driver'srequest. In a second embodiment, a driver pre-configures a trafficreporting system by first providing information to a database concerningthe driver's typical destinations and the driver's preferred routes forreaching these destinations. While en route, the driver can then call anadministrative telephone number with a wireless telephone, and interactwith a voice-automated system 17 to describe the driver's intendeddestination and to receive a short audio message reporting the shortestroute. In a third embodiment, the driver also pre-configures the trafficreporting system by providing information identifying the driver'spreferred routes for reaching a destination, and the typical range oftimes when the driver is commuting. While driving, short text messages18 are provided over the display of the driver's associated wirelesstelephone during the range of times when the driver is commuting, toadvise the driver which of the preferred routes to choose.

FIG. 2 provides an exemplary flow diagram in which a shortest routebetween two locations is determined from a plurality of routes byreferring to information stored in traffic database 10. In step 20, thedriver's present and destination locations are input to a trafficadvisory program. Using a mapping program, all potential routes betweenthe two locations can be determined, in step 21. The system can thentemporarily select and store a certain number of the most direct routes(e.g., the five (5) most direct routes) in step 22. An example of agraphical representation of the temporarily selected routes is providedin FIG. 3 (all reasonably possible routes would be selected). For eachof these selected routes, a list is generated indicating thestreet-by-street directions (e.g., “(1) Rt. 23 N., b/t 1st St. & A St.,3 mi.; (2) A St. W., b/t Rt. 23 & G St., 6 mi.; (3) Fourth St S. b/t ASt. & J. St., 5 ml, etc.), in step 23. An example of lists for two ofthe selected routes from FIG. 3 is provided in FIG. 4. As can be seen inFIGS. 3 and 4, although some routes appear to be more direct, theseroutes may have more cross streets with traffic lights, or may otherwisehave traffic advisories with a reduced drivability rating during thetravel period.

The traffic advisory program can then determine the shortest (time wise)of the selected routes by retrieving information from the trafficdatabase. For each route, the system performs a database search, in step24, and checks for each highway, street, or road in the list todetermine if there is any relevant traffic information stored in thedatabase, in step 25. If there is information in the database, it isretrieved and factored into the calculation for determining the shortestroute, in step 26. For example, if the traffic database indicates thatdrivers are only traveling at 20 mph on a particular stretch of theroad, and the road is ten miles long, then it will probably take thedriver a half hour to traverse that part of the route. As anotherexample, the traffic database may store information indicating thatthere are five traffic lights along the route, and for each light, itmay also store the timing cycle (e.g., number of seconds that the lightis “green” and number of seconds that it is “red”) and the number ofcycles required for a typical driver to pass through the intersection.The traffic advisory program can combine all of this information todetermine a length of time for the driver to commute along that route atthat particular time. If there is no information in the database, anaverage speed is presumed, in step 27, which may be based upon theposted speed limit and the typical rate of speed for the road.

In certain embodiments, recent or current police reports as well asweather advisories can be used to help define the “drivability” rankingof a particular roadway or path. The police reports may include crimereports, accidents, planned roadblocks, planned enforcement activitiesand/or the (average) number speeding tickets given over a desired timeinterval. In certain embodiments, substantially real-time speedingticket events may be monitored (such as input by drivers witnessing theevent and relaying the information to a data collection site or bymonitoring police or public records) and posted to the database to helpdrivers avoid these roadways as appropriate.

After determining that each entry in a list has been checked in thetraffic database, in step 28, the traffic advisory program adds the timefor each entry to calculate the total time associated with the route, instep 29. The traffic advisory program then checks whether there are anyother lists to check, in step 30. Once all lists are checked, acomparison of the calculated commuting times can be made, in step 31, todetermine which route will allow the shortest commute.

FIG. 5 provides an example of the process for determining the shortestroute, based upon the routes illustrated in FIG. 4. As can be seen, foreach route, a total time to travel each stretch of road is calculated,incorporating delays for traffic advisories and the number of trafficlights. Although not shown in FIG. 5, it is also possible to factor thetiming of each traffic light, which may change during different times ofthe day, and the number of cycles of the traffic light that occur beforea typical driver can travel through the intersection. To calculate theestimated time required to travel each stretch of road, the number ofmiles to be traveled along the road is divided by the estimated speed oftraffic along the road, and this result is added to the number ofminutes of anticipated delay resulting from the number of trafficlights. The estimated speed of traffic is determined by subtracting atraffic advisory “factor” from the average speed of traffic on the road.In FIG. 5, the most time efficient route is Route “A,” even though otherroutes are geographically more direct.

After determining the predicted best route, this information can bereported in time for the driver to choose a route to avoid congestedroads and congested traffic intersections. The following is adescription of embodiments by which the traffic advisory information canbe reported to a driver.

I. Exemplary Human Intermediary Embodiments

In one embodiment of the present invention, a subscriber to a trafficmonitoring service indirectly accesses the database through a humanoperator intermediary 16. After determining that the user is asubscriber, the human operator receives a traffic question from the useras a spoken request over the user's wireless telephone. The operatortypes the request for traffic information into traffic database 10,receives the information, and reports the information back to the user.Using a human intermediary is a relatively easy method for a user toaccess the database to receive traffic information. The user's localtelephone company may provide this service in conjunction with“directory assistance,” or the service may be provided by anothercompany that monitors traffic information in the user's metropolitanarea.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram illustrating a method for receiving trafficinformation via a human operator intermediary. While traveling, butprior to the time that it is necessary to choose between one or twopossible routes, a caller dials a telephone number to speak with anoperator at a travel advisory service. Upon receiving the call at ahuman operator station, in step 60, the caller's wireless telephonenumber is automatically provided (as a “caller ID”), in step 61. Thistelephone number is checked against a list of current subscribers in thesubscriber database to determine whether the caller is a currentsubscriber, in step 62. If the caller is not a subscriber, an automatedmessage is played, in step 63, and the call is disconnected.Alternatively, the caller can be transferred to a subscription linewhere a credit card or other form of payment can be relayed, along withother appropriate data and the subscriber added as a new subscriber tothe database.

If the caller is a subscriber, the subscriber is prompted, either by ahuman operator or through an automated voice prompt, to provide thesubscriber's present location, and the system receives this informationin step 64. This information is entered into a mapping system to locatethe subscriber's present location, in step 65. The subscriber is alsoprompted to provide a destination location and this is received in step66 and entered into a mapping system to locate the subscriber's intendeddestination, in step 67. Using speech recognition technology, it ispossible to automatically enter this information, if it is provided in acorrect format.

In certain embodiments, such as in an exemplary implementation, once thesubscriber's present and destination location is entered, a programcalculates the most time efficient route for the subscriber's commute instep 68, based upon both traffic conditions and mileage. An example of aflow for a traffic advisory program is provided above with reference toFIG. 2. In a more simplified implementation, software can be createdthat displays a roadmap of the relevant section of the metropolitanregion and overlays the two or three shortest possible routes withtraffic advisory information for those routes. Based upon this visualdescription, a human operator may be able to formulate an opinion as towhich is the preferred route. This implementation may be particularlyuseful when the driver is only choosing between two roads (e.g., thehighway or the back streets) and only wants to know whether there areany unexpected travel advisories on either of the two roads.

FIG. 7 provides an illustration of an example in which a driver couldeasily benefit from contacting a human intermediary to receive trafficinformation. In this example, the driver will soon choose whether or notto take a bypass route (“1-270”) to travel to his intended destination(“Rockville Pike”). Upon providing this information and accessing thetraffic database, an operator can recommend against taking the bypassroute due to an accident that recently occurred on a road that is alongthat route or other reduced drivability data.

II. Exemplary Pre-Programmed Automated Embodiments

In another embodiment, a driver can pre-configure a trafficinformational system by first providing information concerning thedriver's typical destinations and the driver's preferred routes forreaching these destinations. This information can be entered into adatabase in accordance with a web-based program or other suitable inputmethod. While en route, the driver can then call an administrativetelephone number with a wireless telephone and respond to prompts from avoice-automated system to indicate the driver's intended destination.The automated system then accesses a computerized traffic database anddetermines which of the driver's preferred routes will allow the driverto reach the destination in the least amount of time. The preferredroute can be provided as a short audio message on the driver's wirelesstelephone or other communication device.

For example, in an exemplary implementation, a driver accesses a website to subscribe to the traffic monitoring service. The web siteenables the driver to pre-configure a subscriber database to providespecific traffic information in response to calls from the subscriber'swireless telephone. FIG. 8 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps forpre-configuring the traffic predicting system according to thepre-programmed embodiment.

The web site requests the driver to first enter a wireless directorytelephone number, in step 80. When the driver calls to receive trafficinformation, this number can be scanned (e.g., by caller-ID) to identifythe driver as a subscriber. The driver/passenger is also prompted toprovide a starting location and a destination location, in step 81.Using this information, the web site generates a roadmap, in step 82,which shows the starting and ending locations and the relevant streetsby which the driver may choose to travel. Optionally, the driver may beprompted to enter additional information, such as preferred travel times(both morning and evening).

In one exemplary implementation, the driver can choose in step 83 toeither receive information concerning congestion on particular,identified streets, or a recommendation of one particular route from aplurality of possible routes based upon current traffic conditions. Ifthe driver chooses to receive information pertaining to particularstreets, an indication of which streets typically experience congestionand are monitored by the service is provided on the road map, as shownin step 84. Using the graphical interface, the driver identifies thestretches of particular streets that he wishes to monitor (e.g., 1-495between 1-270 and Old Georgetown Rd.) in step 85. The driver can thenassociate a code or a name with this stretch of road (e.g., “beltway” or“1”) in step 86. Although not shown in FIG. 8, the system can prompt thedriver to refrain from re-using a name or code, or the system canperform a check to determine whether a proposed name or code haspreviously been used by the driver. Instead of typing in a name or code,the driver may also be able to speak the name into a microphone, whichis then digitally recorded for use with a speech recognition system.

The driver can then choose whether to select another road, in step 87.Once the driver has completed selecting roads to monitor, the driverselects a name or code for the trip (e.g., “commute home” or “1”), instep 88, and selects whether to pre-configure monitoring for a differenttrip, in step 89, and repeat the process.

If, in step 83, the driver elects to receive recommendations from theservice of which route to take, the driver may identify a preferredroute on the map by selecting stretches of road in the user interface,in step 91. Once the driver identifies the complete route, the driverprovides a code or a name for the route (e.g., “highway to work” or“back roads to work”) in step 92. The user then selects one or moreadditional routes in step 93, for the system to compare in determiningthe quickest route with the minimum traffic.

FIGS. 9A-9C together provide an example of how a driver may preconfigurethe traffic monitoring service on a web site according to the secondembodiment of the invention. In FIG. 9A, after providing a telephonenumber and a starting and destination location, a road map is providedof the relevant portion of the metropolitan area that includes the twolocations. In this example, the driver chooses to receive informationfor the driver's chosen routes. FIGS. 9B and 9C illustrate the processof selecting two routes, named “Along Peachtree” and “Along Midtown,”respectively. The routes can be selected by “touching”, “clicking”and/or “dragging” on visually generated portions of selected streets ona display.

FIGS. 10A-10B, together with FIG. 9A, provide another example of how adriver may pre-configure the traffic monitoring service. In thisexample, the driver selects two streets to be monitored, named “ThirdStreet” and “Jay Street,” respectively.

When the driver is traveling, he/she can then call an administrativetelephone number to access the automated traffic monitoring service andreceive traffic information in accordance with the driving informationprovided during the preconfiguration on the web site. FIG. 11 is a flowdiagram illustrating the steps for accessing traffic information usingan automated system according to the second embodiment of the presentinvention.

Once a call is received at the traffic monitoring service, in step 110,the wireless directory telephone number is detected, in step 111. If thesystem determines that the caller is not a subscriber, in step 112, thenan automated message is played over the caller's telephone, in step 113.If the caller is a subscriber, he is then prompted to provide the nameor the code number for the trip that is in progress, in step 114. Thesubscriber can then press one or more keys on the wireless telephone, orsimply speak the name. If the name is spoken, the system attempts torecognize the name using known speech recognition systems. Informationpertaining to the subscriber's trips are stored and maintained in thesubscriber database. If the name or code is recognized, in step 115,then the subscriber is prompted to indicate the process of selecting tworoutes, named “Along Peachtree” and “Along Midtown,” respectively. Theroutes are selected by “clicking” and “dragging” on portions of selectedstreets.

FIGS. 10A-10B, together with FIG. 9A, provide another example of how adriver may pre-configure the traffic monitoring service. In thisexample, the driver selects two streets to be monitored, named ‘ThirdStreet” and “Jay Street,” respectively.

When the subscriber (driver or passenger) is traveling, he/she can thencall an administrative telephone number to access the automated trafficmonitoring service and receive traffic information in accordance withthe driving information provided during the pre-configuration on the website. FIG. 11 is a flow diagram illustrating the steps for accessingtraffic information using an automated system according to the secondembodiment of the present invention.

Once a call is received at the traffic monitoring service, in step 110,the wireless directory telephone number is detected, in step 111. If thesystem determines that the caller is not a subscriber, in step 112, thenan automated message is played over the caller's telephone, in step 113.If the caller is a subscriber, he is then prompted to provide the nameor the code number for the trip that is in progress, in step 114. Thesubscriber can then press one or more keys on the wireless telephone, orsimply speak the name. If the name is spoken, the system attempts torecognize the name using known speech recognition systems. Informationpertaining to the subscriber's trips are stored and maintained in thesubscriber database. If the name or code is recognized, in step 115,then the subscriber is prompted to indicate whether to search forinformation pertaining to a road or a comparison of one or more routes(e.g., “press ‘1’ for streets, press ‘2’ for routes . . . ). If thisresponse is not recognized, in steps 117, then the system can continueto prompt the subscriber for the appropriate command.

If it is determined in step 118 that the subscriber chooses to receiveinformation about a particular street, then the system prompts the userto indicate the street name by either speaking the name or pressing acode for the street name, in step 119 (“press ‘1’ for “Third Street;”press ‘2’ for “Jay Street”). The information pertaining to which streetsare associated with the subscriber is stored in the subscriber database.In step 120, the information pertaining to the identified street name isretrieved from the traffic database. This information is then reportedto the user through a simulated voice (e.g., “caution, Jay Street isrunning slowly with unusually heavy traffic, we suggest a differentroute if possible”), in step 121.

The subscriber may instead choose to compare the estimated travel timesbetween a plurality of routes that were pre-configured and associatedwith the identified trip name. The system retrieves information from thetraffic database for each street in each route, in step 122. Theestimated travel time is calculated for each leg of the route, and thetotal travel time for each route is determined in step 123, in a manneras described with reference to FIG. 2. This information is then reportedto the subscriber through a simulated voice (e.g., “take ‘AlongPeachtree,’ it is the fastest route”) in step 124. Thus, referring toFIGS. 9A-C and 10A-B, a subscriber can easily determine whether to takethe “Along Peachtree” or “Along Midtown” routes, or to take or avoideither of “Third Street” or “Jay Street.”

III. Exemplary In-Transit Update and/or (Short) Messaging ServiceEmbodiments

In third embodiments, referring to FIG. 12A, the driver canpre-configure a traffic (predicting) system (block 141) such as byproviding information identifying the driver's preferred routes forreaching a frequent destination, and optionally, the typical range oftimes when the driver is commuting. In addition and/or alternatively,the driver can pre-configure a traffic predicting system by providingtrip-specific data such as anticipated dates of travel, starting andending locations, planned route, planned breaks or night stops and thelike.

The information stored in the database is associated with the driver'swireless telephone number or other unique identifier associated with asubscriber vehicle or wireless communication device (for example, anon-board navigation system such as an ONSTAR system) (block 143). Whenin use, short text and/or audio messages are provided (such as over thedisplay and/or via the speaker of the driver's associated wirelesscommunication device), which may be a wireless telephone, during therange of times when the driver is commuting or during a desiredmonitoring interval or time of interest (block 146) to advise thedriver. The advice can include which of the (preferred) routes tochoose, provide periodic updates in traffic conditions, and/or reportdynamically occurring traffic events that are in the geographic regionof the driver.

A difference between the Traffic Update or (Short) Messaging Serviceembodiment and both the human intermediary embodiment and pre-programmedautomated embodiment is that the driver can receive requestedinformation and/or updates simply by turning on the driver's wirelessdevice, activating a “function” key or the like on the wireless device,and/or turning “on” a vehicle (the latter typically for vehicle mountedwireless communication devices) which automatically engages the trafficsystem (block 145). The interface with the traffic system can occurwithout requiring the driver to make an active input transmission orcommunication request (without inputting responses to multiple prompts)such as a telephone call to a service number to initiate the request forupdate or traffic information. Traffic information can be automaticallyrelayed to the subscriber/driver while a respective subscriber is intransit (block 147).

The interface or active monitoring or access to the traffic system maybe predicated on whether the driver has indicated this time as being ofa desired monitoring period of interest (block 146). In addition, thegeographic location of the subscriber may be monitored dynamically overa desired monitoring period (block 148) and relevant traffic informationprovided for a respective subscriber by correlating the currentidentified geographic location (and or travel direction) to traffic datain that geographic location (i.e, the traffic data can be customized tothe substantially real-time location of the subscriber) (block 149). Ifthe traffic data has not changed since the last update and thesubscriber is still within the same geographic location, the update maybe withheld or delivered on a less-frequent basis. If however, a newtraffic condition is determined in a proximate geographic region, thetraffic notification can relay the information based on the location ofthe subscriber (typically in substantially real-time from when the newcondition is determined or relayed to the traffic system while thesubscriber is in-transit) (block 149).

FIG. 12B is a flow diagram illustrating exemplary steps forpre-configuring the traffic predicting system in a first exemplaryimplementation of Short Messaging Service embodiments. As used herein,the terms “Short Messaging Service” or “SMS” can include emailmessaging, instant messaging or any text or audio messaging system usedwith a wireless communication device to provide traffic notificationinformation. The “short” message is typically less than about aparagraph long if textual, and more typically about 1 sentence long andmay not be presented in grammatically proper format. The short messagecan be less than about 15 seconds in length if audio, and typically lessthan about 10 seconds in duration. The short message may be provided asboth a text message and an audio message, which is output by thewireless device associated with the subscriber. The system may beconfigured to provide additional information upon request if thesubscriber so indicates.

As in FIG. 8, the web site requests the driver to first enter a wirelesstelephone number, in step 125, and a starting location and a destinationlocation, in step 126. Optionally, if the service is associated with thedriver's wireless network, it is possible that the web site willautomatically detect the driver's wireless number upon receiving thedriver's name. Once again, the driver then views a map in step 127,illustrating the starting and destination locations within themetropolitan area.

If the driver chooses in step 128 to receive information about aparticular street, he identifies the street on the map in step 129 andselects a name for the street in step 130. In step 132, the driver thenenters the anticipated range of times and day(s) of the week for travel(e.g., weekdays, weekends, or a particular day of the week). If in step128, the driver chooses to receive information about which is the mostefficient route, he then identifies a route in step 133, associates aname for the route in step 134, and repeats the process to enter otheralternative routes for comparison. In this implementation, the drivermay elect to receive information for other streets or routes in steps131 and/or 135.

FIG. 13 provides an example of an entry in the subscriber databasepertaining to the traffic information that a particular subscriber hasrequested to receive by pre-configuring the traffic predicting system inaccordance with the steps described with reference to FIG. 12B. As isshown, the subscriber database stores the names of the particularstreets and the times that the subscriber expects to be traveling onthose streets (e.g., “Hallowell Dr., N., May 10, 2001: 0800”). Thedatabase also stores information pertaining to a plurality of routesbetween two locations to enable the system to determine the fastestroute (e.g., “Along Cherry Valley” versus “Along Highway”) consideringthe traffic conditions at the requested times (e.g., “8:00 amWeekdays”). The subscriber database automatically stores the number ofmiles for each leg of each route, and associates each street with a codefor accessing the traffic database. At the time requested by thesubscriber, or at regular intervals between the times provided by thesubscriber if a time range is provided, the traffic predicting systemperforms a calculation as illustrated and explained with reference toFIG. 5 to determine the most direct route.

FIGS. 14 and 15 provide an example of how the short messaging serviceembodiment may be used. In this example, “Joe” and “Sam” are twofictitious drivers who subscribe to the service and have pre-configuredthe subscriber database with the following information: “Joe” intends totravel between points A and B at 8:00 am on weekdays (Monday throughFriday) and prefers to travel by either taking the “Along Cherry Valley”route or the “Along Highway” route; and “Sam” intends to travel betweenpoints C and D at 12:00 pm on weekends, and desires to know the trafficconditions along “Highway” before deciding whether to take “Highway” or“Fox Street.” FIG. 14 is a map of the region that includes the presentand intended destination locations of Joe and Sam, and shows certaintraffic advisories that may affect Joe and Sam's commutes. FIG. 15 is aschematic of a scheduling database that is accessed by the traffic dataprocessors 10 in FIG. 1 to schedule the transmission of text messages tosubscribers' wireless devices.

Continuing with this example, Joe leaves his home at point A at 7:55 amon Tuesday to begin his commute, and turns his cellular phone “on” whilein his car. As can be seen in FIG. 15, entry number 5 in the schedulingdatabase indicates that at 8:00 am on Tuesday, the system is to comparethe traffic conditions on two specified routes and report which is thefastest of the two routes to Joe's telephone number at 555-1212. Asshown on the map in FIG. 14, the system can detect that there is anaccident that is slowing traffic on “Cherry Valley,” and so the systemwill recommend that Joe should avoid the route that includes “CherryValley.” Therefore, at 8:00 am, a short text message will be displayedon Joe's telephone that reads: “Along Highway,” based upon the name ofthat route that Joe provided during the pre-configuration of the system.

Sam leaves his gym at point C at noon on Saturday to return home topoint D, and also turns his cellular phone “on” while in the car. As canbe seen in FIG. 15, entry number 6 in the scheduling database indicatesthat at noon on weekends, the system is to evaluate the trafficconditions on “Highway” and report the conditions to Sam's telephonenumber at 999-1234. The map shows that there is a road construction on“Highway,” creating traffic congestion. This information is reported toSam via a text message. Upon learning of the road construction, Sam canopt to take Fox Street back to his home to avoid the traffic.

There are several other exemplary implementations for utilizing a shortmessaging service to report traffic information from a traffic databaseto a wireless subscriber. In a second exemplary implementation, thetraffic reporting system transmits a plurality of short (typically text)messages to the wireless device at the time that the subscriber isbeginning his commute, and the wireless device stores the messages thatare received. Later, the subscriber can access the stored information bypressing different keys on the keypad of the wireless device. In thisimplementation, the subscriber database can be pre-configured to includeall of the information as provided in FIG. 13. However, in addition to,or instead of receiving a message recommending a particular route, thesubscriber can receive a message pertaining to the traffic conditionsfor each different street in the route or for routes having negativetraffic drivability ratings. The subscriber can then toggle through themessages at a safe, appropriate time (e.g., at a red traffic light) whenthe subscriber desires. Alternatively, the series of text messages canprovide directions for the subscriber for the most direct route in lightof the current traffic conditions. The subscriber can then cycle throughthe text messages to navigate the route, at a pace that is controlled bythe subscriber.

In this second implementation, the text message that is transmitted tothe subscriber's wireless device can begin with header code thatinstructs the wireless device where to store (or whether to overwrite)the information in the device's RAM memory. Wireless devices easily canbe designed to parse through the header of a short text message todetect a storage information code. The wireless device can also beprogrammable to press a certain button to remove the information fromthe device (e.g., “Clear”) or alternatively, to save the information inthe device's long term memory.

In a third implementation of the short messaging service embodiment, thetraffic reporting system automatically reports traffic conditions forparticular streets to a subscriber whenever the subscriber is beginningto approach or is in the vicinity of those streets or when a subscribermay otherwise have an interest in the traffic in a geographic region toallow the subscriber to take alternate routes in advance of a problemarea. In this manner, it may be unnecessary to store time and dateinformation (preconfigured) in the subscriber database shown in FIG. 13.Instead, a scheduling database maintains lists of subscriber telephonesthat are to receive text messages when approaching different cell sitesand/or geographic regions. In other words, referring to the map asillustrated in FIG. 14, “Joe” may pre-configure the traffic reportingsystem to receive a traffic report whenever he approaches point “A.”Anytime that Joe is approaching the cell site nearest point “A,” it islikely that Joe is deciding whether to take the “Cherry Valley” bypassor instead travel along the “Highway.” Regardless of the time or day, ashort text message can help Joe by telling him if there are any trafficconditions on either road. If traffic is not an issue, Joe may opt todisregard the text message, not activate the traffic service at that usetime, or not turn on his wireless device at all. Although the thirdimplementation may result in unnecessary or unneeded messages, it may besimpler to administer, and may help subscribers learn of unpredictableaccidents or road construction that may occur when the subscriber didnot expect to encounter any traffic.

In a fourth implementation of the short messaging service embodiment,the subscriber's vehicle and/or wireless device can include a GPSreceiver for allowing the traffic notification system to track ormonitor the locations of the vehicle over a monitoring period. In thisexample, a traffic reporting system sends traffic information when thesubscriber reaches or approaches a certain geographic location, whichcan be determined using the GPS receiver. As in the thirdimplementation, the traffic reporting system can provide trafficinformation from the traffic database when the GPS receiver indicatesthat the driver is in relatively close vicinity to the road, street, orhighway affected and/or in question. The reporting system also can beconfigured to only provide text messages to alert the driver of atraffic advisory in the geographic region in which the driver ispresently located or in a direction that is relevant and ahead of thedriver (in the direction of travel). For example, the system can beconfigured to automatically obtain a plurality of geographic locationreadings about the position of the subscriber's vehicle over a desiredtime interval and the location, speed and/or direction of travel may bedetermined dynamically in situ. In this mode, it may be unnecessary forthe driver to pre-configure a subscriber database with certain tripinformation.

FIG. 16A illustrates an exemplary system architecture for providing anautomated and location-intelligent traffic notification system that candynamically provide substantially real-time traffic conditions based onin situ determined personalized (custom) individual subscriber locationdata. As shown, the system 200 includes at least one trafficnotification server 205 which can be a web server 205 w forming ageneral computing platform with network connectivity to other componentsof the system 200 over an IP (internet protocol) network. The system 200can also include a subscriber database 15, a traffic monitoring system10, a location determination system 210, an interactive voice responsesystem 215 and an SMS and/or interactive pager gateways and the like.

The traffic notification server 205 can be operatively associated withand/or include a profile management subsystem 206 that may beimplemented using computer programs that are web based to manage thesubscriber data or information in a subscriber database 15. As describedabove, the subscriber database 15 can include data regarding desired ortypical driving routes (frequent and/or trip specific), notificationoptions available for the user and user preference(s), active trafficmonitoring schedule(s), and the like. The traffic notification server205 may also be in communication with and/or include a notificationcontrol subsystem 207. The notification control subsystem 207 may be acontrol application software program that dynamically determines if anotification should be sent to a user/subscriber and how thenotification should be sent based on the subscriber's profile as well assubstantially real time traffic information that can be transmitted fromthe traffic monitoring system 10 and the subscriber's geographiclocation information determined in situ from the location determinationsystem 210.

The traffic monitoring system 10 may be configured to publish/post orotherwise provide traffic information to a server, such as the trafficnotification server 205. In certain embodiments, the system 10 canprovide the traffic information in substantially real-time as web pagesthat may be predefined. Such web pages may also be dynamically generatedto incorporate substantially real-time traffic condition data ingeographic areas and/or roadways. The web pages may be Hypertext MarkupLanguage (HTML) common gateway interface (CGI) web pages. The web pagesmay also be or include Java scripts, Java applets or the like which mayexecute at the server 205 w or other processor. As will be appreciatedby those of skill in the art, other mechanisms for communicating betweena web server and a client may also be utilized. For example, othermarkup languages, such as Wireless Markup Language (WML) or the like,for communicating between the traffic notification server 205 and aprospective user using a wireless communication device having an output(such as a display).

As shown in FIG. 16A, the automated system 200 can be configured toprovide outputs to multiple devices for one or more subscribers (eachsubscriber can receive the traffic notification in one or several waysconcurrently). The output devices are illustrated as a local computer300 (shown as a web based interface), a conventional telephone 301, andmobile communication devices 302 that may be in a vehicle 303 and/or thevehicle 303 may have an integrated communication system. The system 200may employ voice notification to transmit traffic information to auser/subscriber via a voice response system 215 service node controlledby the notification control subsystem 207. The voice response system 215may be interactive with the user's wireless communication device. As isalso shown in FIG. 16A, the short messaging service and/or interactivepager gateway interface 220 can be used to transmit customized trafficinformation from the traffic notification server 205 to auser/subscriber via the (mobile) wireless communication output devices.In other embodiments, the traffic notification server 200 may beconfigured to directly communicate with the wireless communicationdevices 302 and/or vehicle 303 integrated communication systems.

FIG. 16B illustrates the automated traffic notification system 200 is incommunication with the location determination system 210. The locationdetermination system 210 is configured to determine the location ofrespective subscribers using the wireless communication device (wirelessvehicle integrated device 303 or portable device 302). The trafficnotification system 200 is configured to automatically transmit atraffic notification message that is based on the geographic location ofthe subscriber to a wireless terminal that is associated with thesubscriber.

The location determination system 210 can be a terrestrial or acelestial-based system, or combinations thereof. The locationdetermination system 210 can be configured to determine the geographiclocation of a subscriber/user (typically carried out in situ, insubstantially real-time). FIG. 17A illustrates a conventionalterrestrial wireless communication system 320 that may implementconventional wireless communications standards and which may be used todetermine location of a user as will be discussed further below. Thewireless system may include one or more wireless mobile terminals(stations) 322 that communicate with a plurality of cells 324 served bybase stations 326 and a mobile telephone switching office (MTSO) 328.Although only three cells 324 are shown in FIG. 17A, a typical cellularradiotelephone network may comprise hundreds of cells, and may includemore than one MTSO 328 and may serve thousands of wireless mobileterminals 322.

The cells 324 generally serve as nodes in the communication system 320,from which links are established between wireless mobile stations(terminals) 322 and a MTSO 328, by way of the base stations 326servicing the cells 324. Each cell 324 will have allocated to it one ormore dedicated control channels and one or more traffic channels. Thecontrol channel is a dedicated channel used for transmitting cellidentification and paging information. The traffic channels carry thevoice and data information. Through the communication system 320, aduplex radio communication link 330 may be effectuated between twowireless mobile stations 322 or between a wireless mobile station 322and a landline telephone user 332 via a public switched telephonenetwork (PSTN) 334. The function of the base station 326 is commonly tohandle the radio communications between the cell 324 and the wirelessmobile terminal 322. In this capacity, the base station 326 functionschiefly as a relay station for data and voice signals.

As illustrated in FIG. 17B, in a celestial communication and/orgeographical location system, a satellite 342 may be employed to performsimilar functions to those performed by a conventional terrestrial basestation, for example, to serve areas in which population is sparselydistributed or which have rugged topography that tends to makeconventional landline telephone or terrestrial cellular telephoneinfrastructure technically or economically impractical. A satelliteradiotelephone system 340 typically includes one or more satellites 342that serve as relays or transponders between one or more earth stations344 and terminals 323. The satellite conveys radiotelephonecommunications over duplex links 346 to terminals 323 and an earthstation 344. The earth station 344 may in turn be connected to the PSTN334, allowing communications between satellite radiotelephones, andcommunications between satellite radio telephones and conventionalterrestrial cellular radiotelephones or landline telephones. Thesatellite radiotelephone system 40 may utilize a single antenna beamcovering the entire area served by the system, or, as shown, thesatellite may be designed such that it produces multipleminimally-overlapping beams 348, each serving distinct geographicalcoverage areas 50 in the system's service region. The coverage areas 350serve a similar function to the cells 324 of the terrestrial cellularsystem 320 of FIG. 17A.

Thus, as noted above, such terrestrial or celestial (satellite)communication systems may also be used for location determination. Forexample, the cell 324 in which the device resides may be determined.Similarly, triangulation between base stations 326 may also beaccomplished, for example, based on the relative signal strength and/orsignal delays associated with different base stations 326.

For more localized communications wireless networking devices, such asan IEEE 802.11 wireless network adapter may be provided. Such wirelessnetwork communications may be carried out as if the monitoring devicewere connected directly to a network, such as an Internet Protocol (IP)network. Location determination in such a wireless network could also bedetermined, for example, by determining the wireless access pointutilized by the device. Each wireless access point could then beassociated with a geographic range of the wireless communications to thewireless access point to determine the location of the monitoringdevice.

As noted above, embodiments of the present invention may alsoincorporate a global positioning system (GPS) for use as the positiondetermination device. Briefly described, as illustrated in FIG. 17C, GPSis a space-based triangulation system using satellites 352 and computers358 to measure positions anywhere on the earth. GPS was developed by theUnited States Department of Defense as a navigational system. Theadvantages of this navigational system over other land-based systems arethat it is not limited in its coverage, it provides continuous 24-hourcoverage, regardless of weather conditions, and is highly accurate.While the GPS technology that provides the greatest level of accuracymay have been retained by the government for military use, a relativelyaccurate service has been made available for civilian use. In operation,a constellation of 24 satellites 352 orbiting the earth, continuallyemit a GPS radio signal 354. A GPS receiver 356, e.g., a radio receiverwith a GPS processor, receives the radio signals from the closestsatellites and measures the time that the radio signal takes to travelfrom the GPS satellites to the GPS receiver antenna. By multiplying thetravel time by the speed of light, the GPS receiver can calculate arange for each satellite in view. Ephemeris information provided in thesatellite radio signal typically describes the satellite's orbit andvelocity, thereby generally enabling the GPS processor to calculate theposition of the GPS receiver 356 through a process of triangulation.

The startup of a GPS receiver typically requires the acquisition of aset of navigational parameters from the navigational data signals offour or more GPS satellites. This process of initializing a GPS receivermay often take several minutes. The duration of the GPS positioningprocess is directly dependent upon how much information the GPS receiverhas initially. Most GPS receivers are programmed with almanac data,which coarsely describes the expected satellite positions for up to oneyear ahead. However, if the GPS receiver does not have some knowledge ofits own approximate location, then the GPS receiver cannot find oracquire signals from the visible satellites quickly enough, and,therefore, cannot calculate its position quickly. Furthermore, it shouldbe noted that a higher signal strength may be needed for capturing theC/A Code and the navigation data at start-up than is needed forcontinued monitoring of an already-acquired signal. It should also benoted that the process of monitoring the GPS signal may be affected byenvironmental factors. Thus, a GPS signal, which may be easily acquiredin the open typically, becomes harder to acquire when a receiver isunder foliage, in a vehicle, or in a building.

As described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,295,023, the disclosure of which isincorporated herein by reference as if set forth fully herein, GPS andcellular communications techniques may be combined to facilitate rapidlocation determination. Such a combined technique may be beneficial soas to reduce power consumption by reducing the duration that amonitoring system needs to be powered to determine and provide locationinformation.

As will be appreciated by those of skill in the art, the GPS receivermay be integrated into the vehicle and/or into the wirelesscommunication device. The particular GPS receiver and/or communicationdevice and/or position determination device utilized may depend on theuse of the monitoring device. For example, if the device is utilized ina relatively small-predefined geographic area, then a wireless networkmay be utilized for both communications and positions. However, if thedevice is to be used or transported over a large geographic area, then acellular or satellite communication system may be used in combinationwith a GPS for position determination. Thus, the present inventionshould not be construed as limited to a particular communication deviceand/or positioning system.

The traffic notification server 205 can operate over a computer networksuch as a local area network, a wide area network or a direct connectionand may include an intranet (computers connected within a particularorganization, company, coalition, or group), an extranet, a VirtualPrivate Network (VPN), a global computer network such as the Internet,including the World Wide Web, or other such mechanism for allowing aplurality of data processing systems with respective outputs (displays)to communicate.

The system 200 includes communication links that allow the trafficnotification server 205 to communicate with the desired input and outputdevices via the computer network. Such communications links may beprovided, for example, by a network interface of a data processingsystem in communication with a processor. Typical network interfaces mayinclude Ethernet, Token Ring or other such direct connections to acomputer network provided, typically, by network interface card (NICs)or may be provided by, for example, a modem, including cable modems,Digital Subscriber Loop (DSL) moderns, including ADSL and DSL modems,wireless modems or conventional telephone modems which providecommunications to a computer network.

The automated location-intelligent system 200 can provide automatednotifications to the driver/subscriber based on in situ determinationsof the driver's location as the system 200 can monitor the location ofthe vehicle and/or subscriber (typically using the wireless device).Thus, the driver does not need to initiate a request for trafficconditions to a service provider to obtain relevant traffic data in ahelpful time related manner. Instead, automatic voice and/or textmessages (typically a short message service “SMS” and/or alert signalswhen urgent geographically relevant traffic events are detected) arerelayed to a user as the user approaches or is expected to advance ontocongested areas or other geographic locations having low drivabilityratings such as accidents, poor road conditions and the like.

By way of example and without limitations, a driver can input a desiredroute using a web browser to communicate with the system 200 and inputsubscriber data into the subscriber database 15. The input may includespecifying the starting and destination locations and may include anexpected schedule or travel period (days, hours, etc. . . . ). The inputmay be provided as a daily (non-weekend) monitoring period duringspecific hours or as an event specific (one time input for vacationtravel and the like). The system 200 can generate a preferred driving ordirectional map based on substantially real time traffic informationposted by the traffic monitoring system 10. The driver may indicate anotification protocol preference, such as a cell phone number or ipageraddress, email address, and the like, for receiving traffic notices (intransit). The driver can initiate his/her journey in a vehicle,typically using the preferred route provided by the system 200. However,the driver may override the preferred route and may notify the system200 that he/she will be traveling along an alternate route. In certainembodiments, the system 200 may be configured to “learn” the driver'stypical travel routes and store them in the subscriber database. Thesubscriber may notify the system 200 when a route is to be placed intomemory and multiple geographic location determinations can be obtainedover the commute to automatically “map” the driver's commute or travelroute. The “learn” mode may be activated by using predefined functionkeys or prompts to the system.

Alternately, the system 200 may determine itself geographically wherethe subscriber (driver) is and the direction he/she is heading based ona plurality of geographic data determinations obtained dynamically whilethe subscriber is in transit during a desired monitoring interval. Thatis, the system 200 can monitor the location of the subscriber and storethe geographic data in the subscriber database. The subscriber's speedand direction of travel can be similarly determined using the geographicdata.

In operation, the system 200 can monitor traffic conditions and notifiesand/or posts the information to the traffic notification server 205 insubstantially real time or as events are detected. The system 200 caninterrogate the data in the subscriber database 15 and determine whichsubscribers are likely to be affected by the detected traffic condition.The system 200 can then confirm that the subscriber is in ageographically relevant position based on the location determinationsystem 210 so as to place the driver at a location in a time andgeographically relevant manner. For example, if an event is defined on aparticular roadway, and the system determines that the subscriber isalready beyond this location, no notification will be sent. In thereverse, if the subscriber is identified as approaching or within aparticular distance of a detected driving condition of interest anotification can be transmitted. In certain embodiments, a virtualboundary can be generated by the system 200 and any incidents occurringwithin the boundary can be transmitted to the subscriber. The virtualboundary will advance with the movement of the vehicle and the size ofthe virtual boundary may be dynamically adjustable in transit (typicallybeing longer in the direction of travel along a major roadway andshorter on adjacent sides of the primary travel route) and can depend onthe determined speed of the vehicle and the destination, and the like.The system 200 can be configured to notify the subscriber whenever anadverse traffic event is detected within the virtual boundary.

The traffic notification server 205 then notifies drivers identified bythe profile management subsystem 206 and/or location determinationsystem 210 as those that should be notified of the detected condition(typically those identified as being or approaching a geographic regionbased on the location determination system 210). Thus, the subscriberand/or driver can dynamically automatically receive relevant, customizedtraffic data on the driver's identified notification device when atraffic incident (accident), construction, congestion, or otherlow-drivability condition is detected in a relevant geographic region ina time-relevant manner. The system 200 may also provide an alternativeroute with the notification or allow a driver/user to request same. Thedriver/user may also respond to the notice with an acknowledgement toallow the system 200 to confirm that the user/driver is still in transitand wishes to receive further traffic updates as they occur.

As used herein, the term “wireless communication device” may include,but is not limited to, a cellular wireless terminal with or without amulti-line display; a Personal Communications System (PCS) terminal thatmay combine a cellular wireless terminal with data processing, facsimileand data communications capabilities; a PDA that can include a wirelessterminal, pager, internet/intranet access, web browser, organizer,calendar and/or a GPS receiver; a two-way wireless communicator (such asthe Blackberry™ wireless platform); a vehicle integrated cellular and/orsatellite based wireless terminal that may include a GPS receiver; and aconventional laptop and/or palmtop receiver or other appliance thatincludes a wireless terminal transceiver. Wireless communication devicesmay also be referred to as “pervasive computing” devices and may bemobile terminals. In certain embodiments, the wireless communicationdevice includes an antenna that can be configured to provide resonancefor a global positioning system (GPS) and the device can include a GPSreceiver. GPS operates at approximately 1,575 MHz.

Referring to FIG. 18, embodiments of the present invention includedetermining the geographic location of a subscriber (block 800); andautomatically transmitting a traffic notification message that is basedon the geographic location of the subscriber to a wireless terminal thatis associated with the subscriber (block 803).

FIG. 19 illustrates exemplary operations that can be used to providetraffic information to a subscriber over a wireless network. Theoperations include providing a subscriber database of informationcorresponding to a plurality of subscribers (block 810). The geographiclocations of a respective subscriber can be monitored while thesubscriber is in transit (block 812). Relevant traffic conditions can beidentified by correlating traffic conditions in a particular location toa respective subscriber's monitored geographic location (block 814). Awireless traffic notification message can be automatically relayed to arespective subscriber if the subscriber is identified as affected by atraffic condition (block 816).

FIG. 20 illustrates additional operations that can be used to providetraffic information over a wireless network using data from a trafficdatabase to a subscriber during a desired monitoring interval or period.The operations include: evaluating whether a subscriber requests toreceive traffic information at a present time from a subscriber database(block 840); dynamically determining a geographic location of thesubscriber using a terrestrial and/or celestial based geographiclocation determination system (block 842); retrieving trafficinformation for a particular geographic area and/or travel zonecorresponding to a travel path of the subscriber and the determinedgeographic location of the subscriber (block 844); and automaticallytransmitting a short text message to a subscriber's wirelesscommunication device (block 846). The relevant traffic information thatis customized to the subscriber's travel path may be reported to thesubscriber in a short (such as a text and/or audio) message while thesubscriber is in transit.

FIG. 21 illustrates yet other operations that can be used to provideautomated location-intelligent traffic notifications. The operationsinclude: providing a subscriber database configured with subscriberspecific data from a plurality of subscribers (block 850); determining ageographic location of a subscriber a plurality of times during at leastone time period of interest and storing the geographic location data inthe subscriber database during a monitoring period (block 852);monitoring the geographic location of the subscriber during themonitoring period based on the geographic location data and thesubscriber's direction of travel (block 854); providing substantiallycurrent traffic information for routes, streets, roadways and/or travelpaths in at least one geographic region (block 856); evaluating whenthere is a change in a traffic condition a route, street, roadway and/ortravel path in the at least one geographic region (block 858);identifying a subscriber that may be affected by the change in thetraffic condition using the determined geographic location of thesubscriber and data from the subscriber database (block 860); and thenautomatically transmitting a traffic notification message to theidentified subscriber to thereby provide updated relevant trafficinformation to the subscriber without requiring the subscriber to call,respond to prompts or enter a request to a remote traffic monitoringservice for the updated traffic information in transit (block 862).

It is noted that the present invention may be configured to operateusing combinations of features of the different embodiments andimplementations described above.

The foregoing disclosure of embodiments of the present invention andspecific examples illustrating the present invention have been presentedfor purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to beexhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise forms disclosed.Many variations and modifications of the embodiments described hereinwill be obvious to one of ordinary skill in the art in light of theabove disclosure. The scope of the invention is to be defined only bythe claimed appended hereto, and by their equivalents.

The statements characterizing the application as a“continuation-in-part” application of a prior application listed underthe “Related Applications” section above is used to indicate thatadditional subject matter has been added to the specification of thepriority application but does not necessarily mean that the inventiondescribed and claimed in the present application is not supported infull by the prior application.

1. An automated location-intelligent traffic advisory system comprising:a location determination system having instructions that, when executedby a processor, cause the processor to perform operations comprisingdetermining a speed, a direction, and a geographic location of a mobileelectronic device associated with a user; and a traffic monitoringsystem having instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to perform operations comprising: storing, to acomputer-readable medium, route data identifying multiple routespreviously traveled by the user; determining whether the user mayencounter an impairment-to-driving condition on any of the multipleroutes previously traveled by the user based on the route data, thedetermined location, the direction of travel, and the speed of themobile electronic device; and transmitting, to the mobile electronicdevice, a notification, for delivery to the user, indicating theimpairment-to-driving condition, including a location of the impairmentto driving condition, in response to determining that the user mayencounter the impairment-to-driving condition on one of the multipleroutes previously traveled by the user.
 2. The traffic advisory systemof claim 1, wherein the instructions of the traffic monitoring systemare further configured to cause a processor to transmit the notificationin substantially real-time as the impairment-to-driving condition, beinga new adverse traffic incident, is detected.
 3. The traffic advisorysystem of claim 1, wherein the instructions of the traffic monitoringsystem are further configured to transmit the notification insubstantially real-time as the impairment-to-driving condition, beingnew congestion, is detected.
 4. The traffic advisory system of claim 1,wherein the instructions of the traffic monitoring system are furtherconfigured to transmit the notification in substantially real-time asthe impairment-to-driving condition, being a new low-drivabilitycondition, is detected.
 5. The traffic advisory system of claim 1,wherein the instructions of the traffic monitoring system are furtherconfigured to receive, from a wireless communication, input from mobileelectronic device associated with the user, the input requestingalternative route information in response to the user being notified ofthe impairment-to-driving condition.
 6. The traffic advisory system ofclaim 1, wherein the mobile electronic device is a wirelesscommunication device, and wherein the instructions of the trafficmonitoring system are further configured to cause a processor to receiveelectronic input, from the mobile wireless communication device,confirming that the user is in transit and wishes to electronicallyreceive relevant driving-condition updates as they occur.
 7. The trafficadvisory system of claim 1, wherein: the mobile electronic device is awireless communication device; and the instructions of the trafficmonitoring system are further configured to, in transmitting thenotification, transmit the notification using an audio message.
 8. Thetraffic advisory system of claim 1, wherein: the mobile electronicdevice is a wireless communication device; and the instructions of thetraffic monitoring system are further configured to, in transmitting thenotification, transmit the notification using a text message.
 9. Thetraffic advisory system of claim 1, wherein: the instructions of thetraffic monitoring system are further configured to cause a processor toreceive an incoming telephone call to request traffic information; andat least the transmitting the notification is performed in response tothe incoming telephone call.
 10. The traffic advisory system of claim 1,wherein the instructions of the traffic monitoring system, when executedby a processor, cause the processor to receive the route data,identifying multiple routes previously traveled by the user, from theuser, and thereafter store the route data to the computer-readablemedium.
 11. The traffic advisory system of claim 10, wherein the routedata also includes time information indicating a time at which each ofthe multiple routes is usually traveled by the user.
 12. The trafficadvisory system of claim 1, wherein the instructions of the trafficmonitoring system, when executed by a processor, cause the processor togenerate the route data, identifying multiple routes previously traveledby the user, using a learning routine, and thereafter store the routedata to the computer-readable medium.
 13. The traffic advisory system ofclaim 12, wherein the instructions of the traffic monitoring system,when executed by a processor to cause the processor to generate theroute data, cause the processor to generate time information indicatinga time at which each of the multiple routes is usually traveled by theuser.
 14. The traffic advisory system of claim 12, wherein theinstructions of the traffic monitoring system, when executed by aprocessor, cause the processor to communicate a notifying message to theuser, regarding a first route determined in the learning mode.
 15. Thetraffic advisory system of claim 14, wherein the instructions of thetraffic monitoring system, when executed by a processor, cause theprocessor to: receive an approval input from the user, in response tothe notifying message; and storing, in response to the approval input,the first pre-determined route to the computer-readable medium as atleast a part of the route data.
 16. The traffic advisory system of claim12, wherein the instructions of the traffic monitoring system, incausing a processor to determine whether the user may encounter animpairment-to-driving condition, determines a code value indicatingdrivability for each of the multiple routes previously traveled by theuser.
 17. The traffic advisory system of claim 16, wherein the codevalue is based at least in part on an item selected from a group ofitems consisting of: a number, a location, and a timing of at least onestreet traffic light; police report data; a driver of a vehicle havingbeen pulled over for ticketing; news information from a news reporter;and commuter information from a commuter on one of the multiple routes.18. The traffic advisory system of claim 17, wherein, the instructionsof the traffic monitoring system, when executed by a processor, causethe processor to provide an incentive to the commuter for providing thecommuter information.
 19. The traffic advisory system of claim 12,wherein: the instructions of the traffic monitoring system, whenexecuted by a processor, further cause the processor to maintain avirtual boundary around a location of mobile electronic device as themobile electronic device moves; and the instructions of the trafficmonitoring system, in causing a processor to determine whether the usermay encounter an impairment-to-driving condition, cause the processor todetermine whether the virtual boundary has moved to encompass such animpairment-to-driving condition on one of the multiple routes previouslytraveled by the user.
 20. The traffic advisory system of claim 1,wherein: the instructions of the traffic monitoring system that, whenexecuted by a processor, cause the processor to receive the route data,cause the processor to receive, from the user, a reporting location;determining whether the user may encounter an impairment-to-drivingcondition on any of the multiple routes is performed in acondition-identification operation; and the instructions of the trafficmonitoring system, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform the condition-identification operation in response todetermining that the mobile electronic device has reached the reportinglocation.